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Today the High Level Group of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for raw materials met to approve its strategic implementation plan. Mr Ramon Alejandro Balet, President of SAICA, represents the paper industry views in this group. In his intervention Mr Balet described several important issues for our industry related to the raw material partnership.

“Mobilising more wood from European forests is very important for the availability of primary fibres for bio-products. Moreover, innovative approaches to implement the cascading use of wood where it adds more value and jobs in Europe are essential.” said Mr Balet at the High Level meeting.

“For the availability of secondary fibres, the landfill ban and incineration ban for recyclable paper are needed. Additionally, collection systems have to improve to ensure glass and paper are collected separately from other recyclables and residual waste.” he continued.

In October the European Commission will call for concrete commitments in non-technological actions for the EIP for raw materials. CEPI will organise a seminar on the EIP for raw materials during European Paper Week on 26 November in Brussels.

The European Commission has proposed the EIP on raw materials to counter the increasing pressure on raw materials, the lifeblood of today's high-tech industry. It also addresses the availability of raw materials for Europe, bringing together EU countries, companies, researchers and NGOs to promote innovative solutions to Europe's raw materials challenge.

Today 48 companies joined forces with the European Commission to set up an unprecedented Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for bio-based industries. The PPP brings together €3.8 billion to advance the bioeconomy in Europe. The European pulp and paper industry is a strategic partner in this PPP, with 13 of the 48 member companies from the sector as well as CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries) as an associate member.

The PPP combines €1 billion of public support from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme with €2.8 billion of industry investment. The initiative will create new markets and value chains for bio-based products, bringing jobs and growth to Europe. Today European Commission President José Manuel Barroso launched the Bio-based Industries PPP as part of the European Innovation and Investment Package.

Applauding the European Commission’s initiative, CEPI Director General Teresa Presas said: “CEPI has worked hard to help make the PPP become reality. It is a great initiative. This support for innovation and demonstration is much needed. It keeps investments in Europe and helps realise our industry’s future”.

The PPP will capitalise on Europe’s research leadership to bring solutions to commercial scale via pilot and demonstration projects. It brings different industry sectors together to optimise and create new value chains. Equally, the PPP is set to boost growth and jobs especially in rural areas.

Biorefineries are at the heart of this development. Unlike conventional fossil refineries that use finite fossil sources, biorefineries use various sources of sustainable biomass and waste to produce everyday products. The biorefinery concept is well placed in the pulp and paper industry, which already constitutes a large part of the bioeconomy in terms of volume and value.

The industry’s expertise in forestry, recycling, wood chemistry and fibre processing provides a unique and strategic opportunity in this initiative. The pulp and paper sector’s focus on value creation from raw materials is leading to new products such as bio-chemicals, bio-composite materials and second-generation biofuels.

About the Bio-based Industries PPP (BBI)
The BBI is a new Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) or Public-Private Partnership between the EU and the Biobased Industries Consortium (BIC) to realise the bio-based economy vision.

About the Biobased Industries Consortium (BIC)
BIC is an association that was established in 2012 to collectively represent the private sector partners in the Public-Private Partnership with the EU. The Consortium started with 40 European member companies (large and small) and is set to grow over time. It also includes associate memberships comprising RTOs, universities and European trade associations. It is host to a unique mix of sectors including agriculture, agro-food, technology providers, forest-based sector, chemicals and energy.

About CEPI aisbl - The Confederation of European Paper Industries
The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) is a Brussels-based non-profit organisation regrouping the European pulp and paper industry and championing industry’s achievements and the benefits of its products. Through its 18 member countries (17 European Union members plus Norway) CEPI represents some 520 pulp, paper and board producing companies across Europe, ranging from small and medium sized companies to multi-nationals, and 950 paper mills. Together they represent 24% of world production.

BASF, the world’s leading company for innovative chemistry for the paper industry, welcomed “The CEPI Two Team project” to its Ludwigshafen symposium. This is the most important innovation project of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI). The project aims at identifying breakthrough innovations that will enable the association’s members to reach the ambitious climate protection targets of the CEPI Roadmap 2050. For this, two teams of experts, scientists, paper manufacturers, suppliers and representatives of the pulp and paper industry compete against each other. A delegate of BASF’s Paper Chemicals operating division participates in one of the teams. The results will be presented to the EU Commissioner for Climate Action in November 2013.
Hosting the meeting in Ludwigshafen, BASF arranged for a separate conference paired with an innovation marketplace to complement the CEPI Two Team project sessions. In the context of the lecture program, members of CEPI and the German Pulp and Paper Association (VDP) presented the guiding idea of a lower carbon circular flow economy based on renewable raw materials. BASF contributes presentations which address sustainability in the chemical industry and innovations in paper chemicals. In the subsequent innovation marketplace of BASF Paper Chemicals, numerous examples were given to demonstrate the innovations the operating division is going to implement to address sustainability already today, tomorrow and in the future.
BASF already offers many sustainable solutions in terms of XELOREX™ – the multifunctional 4-in-1 solution for papermaking – besides cost-efficient binders or the novel production of testliner with anionic sizing agents, quite apart from the biopolymer ecovio® FS Paper. Solutions for tomorrow are focused on the advancement of cost-efficient binders and the introduction of the next generation of cationic polymers contributing toward a further reduction in production costs of paper. Some of the topics aimed at the future will introduce the conference attendants to BASF conceptions relating to new cellulose-based materials and functional barriers.
“Sustainability, in harmony of economic, ecological and social responsibility, is a fundamental principle of all our activities and an important driver in our research & development. In previous years we have invested a lot into this field of work and created new opportunities for paper manufacturers. This is what our innovation marketplace clearly illustrates and, through examples, also lets the visitors experience,“ says Dr. Frank Hoefer, Vice President, Marketing Paper Chemicals Europe, who represents BASF in the Two Team Project. “The Two Team Project will enable the paper industry to take the necessary steps toward a low-CO2 economy. We as BASF take particular pleasure in hosting the last session of the project teams. Before a final decision is taken on a concept this will also be great information for all conference participants what we can contribute today as well as in the future to accomplish the goals of CEPI.“

About BASF’s Paper Chemicals division
BASF’s Paper Chemicals division offers process chemicals to optimize costs and increase machine efficiency, functional chemicals to lend specific properties to paper, and finishing chemicals to improve the appearance and performance characteristics of printed paper and board. With this comprehensive portfolio, BASF is the leading supplier of paper chemicals worldwide. BASF established Paper Chemicals as a separate division when it acquired Ciba in April 2009. The ISO 9001-certified Paper Chemicals division operates sites in Europe, Asia and the Americas. For more information, go to www.paper-chemicals.basf.com

About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of €72.1 billion in 2012 and more than 110,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com

When launching the CEPI Two Team Project in November last year, some sceptics were wondering whether the process would really deliver at the end. To them, we dare say today: "Be prepared to be surprised!"

The CEPI Two Team Project uses crowdsourcing and open innovation while putting two teams in competition with each other in order to identify within a year breakthrough technology concepts. Those technologies need to enable the European pulp and paper industry to significantly reduce its carbon emissions, while creating more value. Through the implementation of these technologies the industry would be in a position to implement the CEPI Roadmap 2050 that suggested that the sector would decarbonise by 80% and create 50% more value by 2050. Frits Beurskens (former CEO of SKG), the sponsor and mentor of the blue team, sees the project as “a great stimulus for the European pulp and paper sector to develop breakthrough technologies leading to a strong reduction of CO2 emissions and more added value.”

Inspiring milestones on the way

Since the launch of the project, the teams already had four opportunities to meet and to elaborate generic concepts of breakthrough innovations. In December, the kick-off meeting held in the famous Atomium of Brussels allowed the participants to break the ice, get to know each other and be informed on the "rules of the game", the available tools and materials, as well as the time schedule. The first substantive meeting took place in Lenzing (Austria). The teams had the opportunity to learn about hi-tech textile fibre produced in the mill before having a full day of brainstorming in split rooms.
Heiner Grussenmeyer (Stora Enso), the captain of the blue team, thinks that “the interaction with other industry sectors and visits to their sites are very inspiring for all team members and moves discussions on breakthrough concepts to new dimensions.” In February, Tata Steel opened its IJmuiden plant (Netherlands) to the teams, telling them about the ULCOS project (Ultra Low Carbon Steel) before the teams could separately refine the concept areas they had identified in Austria. A first selection of promising concept areas was made at that occasion. After a visit of the Repsol Innovation Technology Centre in Madrid, the teams came to a more realistic selection of generic concepts that are likely to be in the teams’ final report to be delivered in September.

Comparison, inspiration and metaphors

While not disclosing any content of what the teams have in mind, readers might be interested to know that both teams are exploring and assessing whether technologies and innovations used in other industries might be helpful. In that context, the teams have looked at the textile industry and its methods to create surfaces out of fibre. They are also considering the food industry and its techniques of drying food. Nature can also be a source of inspiration and bio-mimetics might contribute to the final results submitted by the teams. Useful metaphors are often making very abstract and technical ideas easier to understand. Candles, conditioning shampoos, tumble dryers, and others are some of the pictures the teams are using to make processes that might be relevant for their end results more accessible. ”Our team members are bursting with ideas and are highly motivated. This project will be a real achievement!” summarizes Veit Sorger (former CEO of Mondi and Sponsor and mentor of the Red Team).

What's next?

Two more meetings are planned in May and June this year. Then the team will start preparing their final reports. A pre-jury will meet early October to score the teams' submissions before the jury selects the winning concept in time for the winner to be announced on 27 November 2013 at the European Paper Week. The generic concepts proposed by the teams will help CEPI convince the European Commission to grant some money from the framework programme for research Horizon 2020 to the pulp and paper industry. The research money will help to further develop the ideas, hence contributing to the decarbonisation of the industry.

Call for engagement

While good progress has been made within the teams, there is still room for feeding the process with any disruptive idea or concept. Nearly 20 submissions have been registered on the www.unfoldthefuture.eu website. More than 100 LinkedIn members have joined the CEPI Two Team Group. The Two Team project is also on Twitter and on Facebook. Jerome Grassin (CTP), captain of the Red Team thinks that “it should be seen as essential to contribute or support the Two Team Project by anyone working in the pulp and paper industry.” The next opportunity to meet the teams and get in touch will be the “Unfolding the future” conference in Ludwigshafen (Germany) on 9 June. The program can be found at www.vdp-online.de/pdf/invitation.pdf. Please submit your ideas at www.unfoldthefuture.eu and follow the process.

BRIDGE - Biobased and Renewables Industries for Development and Growth in Europe – PPP is about investing in Europe and its people. It is about creating jobs, tackling societal challenges with innovative biobased technologies, and using renewable resources and wastes to make high quality biobased products and materials. It is about revitalizing Europe’s industrial infrastructure, and developing rural areas through the creation of biorefineries, which are at the heart of the biobased economy. CEPI and 12 European pulp and paper producers are partner in this Public Private Partnership (PPP).

In short the BRIDGE PPP stands for:
- Enabling rural development and re-industrialisation
- Connecting farmers and foresters with consumers through locally sourced and produced goods and products
- Accelerating the transition towards smart and efficient use of resources
- Securing European competitiveness in the global biobased economy race

The European paper industry is a highly innovative sector. Its strategic vision of reconciling sustainability and competitiveness, the inherent properties of its raw materials, and the transformation the sector is going through are already delivering new products, new technologies, new bio-values, and business opportunities. In 2011, CEPI launched the 2050 Roadmap to a low-carbon bioeconomy, as the very first European manufacturing industry sector to react to the European Commission’s roadmap towards a low-carbon economy with its own sector roadmap. The Two Team Project, which ran in 2013, seeked to find the most innovative breakthrough technologies of the industry with two teams competing against each other. Eight breakthrough technologies made it to the publication. In 2015, CEPI collected more than 40 of the industry’s most innovative products in another publication, The Age of Fibre, showcasing once again the versatility and innovation in the industry. You can find all these publications on this page, dedicated to innovation.